There’s a multitude of great websites out there that we all secretly have bookmarked and that we find ourselves drawn to for a quick laugh or to waste away some hours of unmitigated boredom.
Indeed, such sites can become the bane of our existence and an outlet for procrastination when there’s work to be done, but the humor engendered by a quick peek, a speedy view, or a riotous situation never ceases to attract.
From Lamebook, RichKidsOfInstagram, to PeopleofWalMart, if the ridiculous or unbelievable are seeking an outlet, there is a surely a website dedicated to recognizing their existence and highlighting (often forever memorializing) the beautiful power of the Internet and it’s propensity to make things viral.
Enter in a newly launched player in the game called: The People of the DC Metro. The creator of this new site choses to go by an online pseudonym, “Derek W” and steadfastly refuses to provide his true identity. Explaining the reason for this desired anonymity, “Derek W” tersely observed, “I don’t want to use my real name because I’m not a complete attention wh***.”
According to Derek, the “site [is] for the commuters of DC that witness the strange, the odd and sometimes, the epic that DC has to offer.”
Adding, “This site is a place for people to share their pictures, stories and videos so that the world can share in our DC Metro experiences. We want the riders of the Metro to submit any and all of their pictures, stories and videos with us! We believe that sharing is caring.”
Despite the multitude of viral sites that aim to poke fun at everyday individuals already available on the Internet, there was an apparent gap for a hyper-localized viral Website of this specific nature. As Derek states, “I created this site out of sheer frustration. I’m a daily commuter and would see other commuters in various stages of ‘shenanigans,’ and I could not find a place to share my glorious findings, hence the birth of ‘People of the DC Metro.’ The normal people outside of DC deserve to see these DC commuters in their natural habitat, undisturbed and unafraid.”
Crowdsourcing humorous photos to create content for a Website is not an entirely new idea. Recognizing this fact, Derek, laying on the obvious irony, protests “we would like to pride ourselves on the thought that this was a totally original thought and certainly was not modeled after ‘People of Wal-Mart.’ Because in DC we don’t steal others’ ideas and claim them as our own! No, sir! We are as original as our current foreign policy! Hashtag staffers.”
The site claims to have some big aspirations, but recognizing its need to secure a loyal following, is aiming to secure a base locally and expand out in due time. As Derek observes, “We are starting in the DC area first and if we get enough Millennials to latch on to the teat of the idea, we will expand to other major metro areas.”
“Don’t forget to hashtag that,” Derek interjects unequivocally, as if that hashtag insert demand will somehow magically translate into print. It seems obvious that the creator of the site has big ambitions and it seems to be gaining early traction on Facebook even though the site has yet to post much content. Nevertheless, “The People of the DC Metro” does have a humorous mascot that it is calling ‘Scooter Man.’
When asked why ‘Scooter Man’ was selected, Derek dismisses and then chastises the substance of the very question itself, noting, “That’s a dumb question, isn’t it obvious? ‘Scooter Man’ has balls made of the finest steel this country can produce. Not only does he own a red scooter, this brave man drove it onto a metro car and went for double joy ride.”
“Your jealousy is obvious to us right now, good sir,” Derek coolly signs off.
People of the DC Metro is actively seeking submissions. In addition to the site’s main portal, it is pushing new users to check them out on Facebook and Twitter.
Follow Tim on Twitter @timothywcoleman
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.